Category Archives: Aviation

Vistara to start direct flights between Mumbai and Frankfurt from 15 November

Vistara has announced direct 6x weekly flights between Mumbai and Frankfurt, starting from 15 November 2023. This new route is in addition to Vistara’s 6x weekly service between Delhi and Frankfurt which has been getting good response since its launch in February 2021. With the addition of this new long-haul route, Vistara further enhances connectivity between Europe and India as it continues to grow its international network. The airline will operate its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner featuring a three-class cabin configuration, offering the choice of travelling in Business, Premium Economy, and Economy cabins. Bookings for the flights are being progressively opened on all channels, including Vistara’s website, mobile app, and through travel agents.

Vistara’s operations in Mumbai has witnessed remarkable expansion in recent times, especially as a gateway to the airline’s international network. Vistara now connects Mumbai to a total of 12 international destinations, including Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Colombo, Dammam, Dhaka, Dubai, Jeddah, London Heathrow, Male, Mauritius, Muscat and Singapore. In the last 12 months, the airline has added many new domestic and international connections from Mumbai leading to an increase of 42% in the number of departures, and nearly doubled its employee-strength in the station.

Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, “We are delighted to expand our international network with the launch of this new service between Mumbai and Frankfurt. Our long-haul routes, connecting Delhi with London Heathrow, Paris and Frankfurt have been very popular amongst our customers which gave us the confidence to offer similar connections from Mumbai as well. This will be our second long-haul route from Mumbai, in addition to 5x weekly flights to London Heathrow, and we hope that our customers will appreciate having the option of flying with India’s best airline on this sector.”

“Over the past couple of years, we have launched several new international routes from Mumbai, especially to the Middle East. This aligns perfectly with our strategy to position Mumbai as a vital hub for international travel,” he added.

Vistara will accept all eligible customers meeting visa/entry requirements in both countries, as specified by the respective government bodies. Vistara strongly encourages its customers to fully understand these guidelines before making their bookings.

Creditors to vote on merger proposal of Air India, Vistara tomorrow

Tata-owned Air India and Vistara have asked for permission from their creditors to merge the two airlines.
On Thursday, The Economic Times (ET) reported that creditors will vote on the proposal on September 23.

Sources told ET that after getting approval from creditors, Air India and Vistara will move for permission from the Registrar of Companies and aviation regulator DGCA. The merger plan has already been given the nod by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and the Competition Commission of India (CCI).

Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines (SIA) filed a merger application with the CCI in April, stating that the amalgamation of Vistara with Air India would not change the competitive landscape or cause any appreciable adverse effect on competition in India. They had expressed hope to conclude the merger by March 2024.

Air India is wholly owned by Tata Sons, whereas Vistara is a 51:49 joint venture between Tata Sons and SIA.
The notice states that permissions will be sought from both secured and unsecured creditors. In most cases, banks are secured creditors, whereas vendors, and lessors are called unsecured creditors.

Lenders to Go First extend deadline for submitting EoI to September 28

Lenders of the crisis-hit Go First airline extended deadline for submission of expressions of interest (EoI) to September 28, said a report on Wednesday.

Provisional list of prospective resolution applicants will be issued on October 8, reported CNBC TV18.
If confirmed, this is the second time deadline for submission of EoI will be extended.

On May 2, the airline filed for initiating voluntary insolvency proceedings at the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), citing huge revenue losses, owing to the non-supply of aircraft engines by US engines maker Pratt & Whitney.

flydubai calls for liberalised aviation between India & UAE to boost traffic

Dubai-based flydubai has called for a liberalised ‘Open Skies’ policy between the UAE and India, noting that this arrangement will bring better benefits to boost tourism in both countries.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO, flydubai said now that there is a trade corridor between UAE and India, the aviation sector should be liberalised as well. “The aviation sector should be liberated as the potential is endless,” he underscored, reports The Khaleej Times.

An ‘Open Skies’ agreement is about granting access to national airports for foreign airlines. It entails removing restrictions on flight frequencies, seats and cities airlines can serve, which will result in ease of travel and increased tourist flow. (Source: Khaleej Times)

Emirates, SriLankan Airlines sign reciprocal interline agreement for 15 destinations

Emirates and SriLankan Airlines have signed a reciprocal interline agreement to boost connectivity for passengers of both airlines. The partnership will enable access to new points on each other’s networks via Colombo and Dubai, utilising a single ticket and offering the convenience of baggage transfers.

Tickets are now on sale for travel effective immediately as the interline partnership unlocks 15 regional destinations operated by SriLankan Airlines via Colombo, for Emirates’ passengers to choose from.

The interline network includes two new Indian destinations, Madurai and Tiruchirapally, in addition to Gan Island in the Maldives, for customers to travel seamlessly on a single ticket while enjoying the convenience of a generous baggage policy and hassle-free baggage check-through to the final destination. Far East and South Asian destinations also include Cochin, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Malé, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta, Guangzhou, Seoul and Tokyo.

AAI to add 160 parking bays at 27 airports as aircraft orders soar

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will add 160 aircraft parking bays at 27 airports in two years to expand air connectivity. The capacity expansion will aid domestic airlines that are adding aircraft to meet the growing demand. Air India and IndiGo have around 1,500 aircraft on order that would be delivered over a decade. In FY 2024 domestic airlines are expected to induct around 100 planes.

“By the end of year 2023, 104 bays will be constructed at 16 airports and in 2024, an additional 56 bays will be constructed at 11 airports. All the bays are suitable for Code ‘C’ type of aircraft ranging from ATR-72 to AirbusA321,” AAI said.

Amritsar, Goa (Dabolim), Kolkata and Patna, which feature in the top twenty airports for domestic passenger traffic will see addition of aircraft bays. While Amritsar and Kolkata airports will see the increase in 2023, Goa and Patna will get new parking bays next year.

Other airports that will see additional parking bays include Leh, Raipur and Tirupati. Extra parking bays at Leh would especially be useful, given the short operating window at the airport due to weather conditions. The list of 27 airports also includes the airfields in Datia, Rewa (both Madhya Pradesh) and Solapur (Maharashtra) which currently see no scheduled airline flights. “Any capacity addition at tier-II airports is good and will especially help government’s regional connectivity scheme. Along with increase in parking bays, AAI should also provide night landing and round-the-clock air traffic services at some of the smaller airports,” said Ameya Joshi, founder of aviation blog Network Thoughts.

“By FY30, the combined fleet size of Indian airlines is likely to double to 1,400 and thus we will require additional 600-700 aircraft parking bays at in the country,” said Kapil Kaul, CEO (South Asia), aviation consultancy, CAPA.

“CAPA doesn’t expect a capacity challenge at metro airports till FY 30. AAI must construct parking bays at airports which align the operational and commercial requirements of airlines,” Kaul added. (Source: The Business Line)